The reductions in the physiological operations of the brain have an effect on the person's abilities to:
- pay attention to information,
- access procedural and long-term memories,
- retain information in working memory,
- learn and remember new information,
- talk,
- coordinate their gross, fine motor and bilateral movements,
- understand what they read,
- write or text a message, and
- comprehend what money is.
All these reductions reduce their capacity to manage their own affairs.
A cognitive disability is expected to last at least a month and to effect everything the person says and does, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.
Ordinary & Brief Effects
Temporary cognitive disabilities are common ordinary experiences that everyone has multiple times every year.
We all experience momentary lapses in our ability to function that last a few minutes. Momentary lapses occur when we realize it is time to take a break. Brief effects last about 30 minutes to a day or two. They are usually explained by sugar highs, not eating, fevers or oxygen flows to the brain. Some ordinary reductions in ability to function are caused by viruses or other illnesses. All ordinary and brief effects have an expected return to normal ability to function.
The next time you have one, try to be aware of your attention to your ability to learn and remember during and after the experience. If you left work because you were sick, what do you remember about the trip home? Have you ever gotten home after work but forgot to stop at a grocery store on the way?
Short-Term & Return to Normal
Brief illnesses, general anesthesia and other medical treatments often cause a short-term cognitive disability. Short-term is usually one to two weeks and is followed by a natural healing process. All of the short-term effects are expected to return to normal. Common medical recommendations are bed rest and nursing care followed by taking it easy and increased activity "as tolerated".